The future. Right now (being in year 11 and I am positive it is the same for everyone else in the same year group) all we are told to focus on is the future. Your future could be this, your future could be that. Personally, all I want to focus on is the present. I want to live in the now and focus on the future when it arrives (and this is coming from an incredibly organised person) Unfortunately, this is not the way that school life works and yes that sucks, but there is nothing we can do about it except do what we are told and that's right, you guessed it, focus on the future.
There are many ways in which "the future talk" is presented. There is the negative approach. For example, you are lectured on the fact that doors are going to close and opportunities will not be given if we don't work for them. We know this! We say it in our heads on repeat day in day out, we are aware we need to work our arses off but it doesn't mean you need to say it out loud! This approach is the most likely. Then there is the positive approach. This is the one that I am yet waiting to experience but I am sure that when or even if I encounter it, it shall be fabulous or at least something different from the normal negativity. I imagine this talk to be something along the lines of being encouraged to try your best as that is all you can do and striving for success and working so hard that you won't have to look back in twenty years time and say "I wish I'd done that a little differently". The third and final approach is something I like to entitle "the divide" because it sounds really dramatic. That sums me up in a nutshell really. This is where your School decide to deliver this talk to girls and boys separately. The girls have one assembly whilst the boys have one too. A master plan is then developed by the teachers to turn your GCSEs in to a competition. Can the girls beat the boys? Can the boys beat the girls? Who actually cares? As long as we, individually try our absolute hardest to achieve our best then surely nothing else can matter?
The pressure is already on and I, like many other people my age am already starting to stress and I can guarantee that more pressure and more stress is going to be thrown our way, but there are solutions. Admittedly though, some of these don't work for me, however typing them I feel like they should. So here are my top 10 solutions:
1) Find a nice clear area to revise in. This may be your living room, your bedroom or even your local library.
2) Whilst revising, keep mobiles, iPod's etc. away as these are distractions and there is no way you can focus on revision when Facebook is in your way.
3) Don't go insane with the revision. Of course you must revise but if you go crazy and revise for a whole day with no breaks nothing will stay in your head.
4) Attend as many revision sessions as you can. Many subjects should offer these and at least by doing this you know you are in a place where you will definitely get some work done.
5) Keep your options open. If you want to stay on at your Schools sixth form that is fine but make sure that you apply to a couple of other places too as a back up.
6) A-Levels are important too. When selecting what you would like to study consider what you are good at, what you enjoy and your career choice(s).
7) Keep your hobbies and interests close to your heart at this time. Obviously, nearer the time there is going to be certain activities e.g. dance classes that you may have to take a break from so you can really focus but it is good to have something different and that you enjoy to do in the mean time as you will want a break.
8) Your friends and family are there to support you. Don't push them away. Yes, you need space and time to revise but they are either going through or have been through the same thing so talking to them about it may help.
9) Make sure you eat when you have an exam. Breakfast is essential, you need brain food!
10) Find a nice clear calm space that you can go to when it all gets a bit too much. I recommend the beach as I find that the sea air can sometimes clear your head and.... BREATHE!
I apologise for the ramble but it had to be done.
There are many ways in which "the future talk" is presented. There is the negative approach. For example, you are lectured on the fact that doors are going to close and opportunities will not be given if we don't work for them. We know this! We say it in our heads on repeat day in day out, we are aware we need to work our arses off but it doesn't mean you need to say it out loud! This approach is the most likely. Then there is the positive approach. This is the one that I am yet waiting to experience but I am sure that when or even if I encounter it, it shall be fabulous or at least something different from the normal negativity. I imagine this talk to be something along the lines of being encouraged to try your best as that is all you can do and striving for success and working so hard that you won't have to look back in twenty years time and say "I wish I'd done that a little differently". The third and final approach is something I like to entitle "the divide" because it sounds really dramatic. That sums me up in a nutshell really. This is where your School decide to deliver this talk to girls and boys separately. The girls have one assembly whilst the boys have one too. A master plan is then developed by the teachers to turn your GCSEs in to a competition. Can the girls beat the boys? Can the boys beat the girls? Who actually cares? As long as we, individually try our absolute hardest to achieve our best then surely nothing else can matter?
The pressure is already on and I, like many other people my age am already starting to stress and I can guarantee that more pressure and more stress is going to be thrown our way, but there are solutions. Admittedly though, some of these don't work for me, however typing them I feel like they should. So here are my top 10 solutions:
1) Find a nice clear area to revise in. This may be your living room, your bedroom or even your local library.
2) Whilst revising, keep mobiles, iPod's etc. away as these are distractions and there is no way you can focus on revision when Facebook is in your way.
3) Don't go insane with the revision. Of course you must revise but if you go crazy and revise for a whole day with no breaks nothing will stay in your head.
4) Attend as many revision sessions as you can. Many subjects should offer these and at least by doing this you know you are in a place where you will definitely get some work done.
5) Keep your options open. If you want to stay on at your Schools sixth form that is fine but make sure that you apply to a couple of other places too as a back up.
6) A-Levels are important too. When selecting what you would like to study consider what you are good at, what you enjoy and your career choice(s).
7) Keep your hobbies and interests close to your heart at this time. Obviously, nearer the time there is going to be certain activities e.g. dance classes that you may have to take a break from so you can really focus but it is good to have something different and that you enjoy to do in the mean time as you will want a break.
8) Your friends and family are there to support you. Don't push them away. Yes, you need space and time to revise but they are either going through or have been through the same thing so talking to them about it may help.
9) Make sure you eat when you have an exam. Breakfast is essential, you need brain food!
10) Find a nice clear calm space that you can go to when it all gets a bit too much. I recommend the beach as I find that the sea air can sometimes clear your head and.... BREATHE!
I apologise for the ramble but it had to be done.
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